The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-05-19

up the soil and exposing it to the air
dries it up rapidly; some farmers think
that deep plowing in dry weather brings
moisture up from below and benefits the
crop. 1t does bring moist dirt from
below to the surface, but this only gives
the moisture better opportunity to
escape into the air. Plants donot derive
any benefit from it's transfer to the sur.
face. Light surface plowing, on the con-
trary, keeps the, moisture in The soil,
only a thin skim at the surface is made
dryer by the plowing. The water from
below rises up to the layer Of pulverized
soil, but cannot pass through it into the
air. It's acts like a mulch; every one
knows that covering of leaves or straw
keeps the soil below damp, but nlulching
with leaves on large scale is ilnpracti.
cable-not so mulcbing with pulveriz-
ed earth, it is cheap, practicable, edec'
tive. Keep the sweep wings fat, but
keep them also moving. Go over the
crop once in every ten days, or oftener if
rains fall and crust is about to form.
Flowing at long intervals makes spas
modic growth of crop-6rst fast and
then slow. Plow frequently and a
steady, uniform growth ensues.
The first of May is a favorable time to
start many of the crops. generally
esteemed side crops, but which deserve
decidedly more prominence. All the
sorghums should now be planted. We
urge the cultivation of these crops Upon
our readers with great confidence. We
have fully tested the matter on our own
farm, and know these plants to be admi-
rable for certain purposes. We do not
propose to say that they are wonderful,
excelling anything that was ever heard
Of. But that, like corn, they are useful,
and fill a certain place on the farm most
admirably. Every one knows that syrup
sorghum is hardy, productive, certain
and cheaply raised crop. Every
farmer can raise enough Of it to supply
his laborers with syrup at very little
expense. For besides the syrup he gets
good yield of fodder and grain. Mules
can be fed on these in place of corn and
fodder, and it is not extravagant to say
as much stock can be fed from an acre of
sorghum as from an acre of corn. We
have been in the habit Of looking at sor.
ghum simply as a syrup-producing crop.
Why not rank it as regular food crop?
The whole heads fed to mules are we'll
cheWed; the grains are thoroughly mas
ticated, and we have never seen whole
seed pass undigested through on animal.
AS change from continuous corn
ration it iu highly relisbed by stock, and
is apparently equally nutritious. Now
here is crop which pays for its cultiva-
ton in two distinct products-syrup and
grain and fodder. Either Of these pro-
ducts will more thanspay the cost of cul.
tivation; the other remains as clear
profit. 1t is both money and food
crop. But ne desire to call attention to
sorghum particularly as a food for hogs.
The early amber cane planted the first
of Nav. will be ripe by the first of Au.
gust, and through successive paintings, a
continuous supply of it may be had from
the first of August we'll into Noyembsr-
nearly, ifnot quite, four months. Now,
as every observant person knows. hogs
eat this plant with avidity. They
extract all the juice from the stalks, in
addition to eating the grain, and fatten
upon it with great rapidity. Many
object, and very properly, to raising pork
because of the drain on the corn crib.
Here is substitute, here is remedy-a
hardy, easily raised, productive crop, one
that stands drought we'll, that will
grow on poor land and never fails
entirely. Could a cheaper, better hog
food be found? Almost every one
knows this, but how few take advantage
of it. We go on from year to year in the
same old ruts, con6ning our efforts to
corn and cotton production. Cannot the
force of mere habit be overcome? Why
not cut down the corn crop little and
plant sorghum in place of it? Plant
enough to supply your laborers with
syrup, the seed and blades TO be used as
stock food plant still more to feed green
to hogs and milch COWS. Three acres of
sorghum will feed and fatten hogs from
August to November. Compare the cost
of raising three acres of sorghum with
the value Of ten hogs whose weight has
been increased fifty to one hundred per.
cent. With hardy fruit trees, like
plums, Seeding peaches, Wild cherry,
mulberries, horse and June apples, with
Bermuda grass red and burr clovers,
with early productive varieties of sweet
potato, like the St. Domingo, with pea
patches, and finally sorghum, what hin.
ders Southern farmer from raising pork
as cheap anybody? Nothing but not
making up his mind to do so and
arranging for it. He can do it if he
wills to do it,.
But the syrup sorghum is not the only
variety which might be pro6tably cult.
waited. The whiteiseeded varieties, like
milo maize and Kafir!corn are vary near.
II, if not equal quite to corn as horse-feed.
We. have fully tested THE milo maize;
horses eat it,with relish, ,:and can do as
much work when fed upon it as upon a
corn ration. Neither.at all is it incon.i
venient to handle. The whole heads are
putin. the manger, and the grain, eaten:
with the brush of the head, is thoroughly
masticated. The blades are pulled and
cured like fodder. In above respect it
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